*The Official VILLAS AT DISNEY'S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT & SPA Owners & Lovers Group*

[mrsap]

Saw this posted on FB and wanted to share as an FYI…

The Gingerbread House is offering Express Pick-Up for select treats.

 

[Disneyjohnny]

Hi all,

We had our first stay at the Grand Floridian on our past trip. We own primarily at Riviera however we have added on a few smaller contracts at resorts we have always loved the look of and always wanted to stay at. Grand Floridian being one of them.

We booked 3 nights at a Resort Studio Standard View for a total of 66 points. We had room 9528 which had a view of the quiet pool primarily but if you stood at the back of the balcony you could see Space Mountain!

The Grand Floridian was everything that we could have ever hoped for and more! It was luxurious, it was relaxing, it was close to MK...and I mean REALLY close...we left our room and less than 30 minutes later we were in the queue for Seven Dwarves Mine Train! Compared to the 90 minutes it took us on a previous trip to drive from All Star Sports and actually arrive at the gates of Magic Kingdom (never again will I drive to MK) it was a real breath of fresh air.

Mum has totally fallen in love with the VGF (even though she didn't stay with us there) and I feel that we will be adding on more points here if there is a contact we fall for.

 

[bigmochick]

I apologize if this doesn’t belong here but I was wondering if anyone knows if Gasparilla Grill is offering the Holiday Turkey sandwich this year? I had one in Dec of 2019 from there and loved it. Staying on the monorail line so that’d be a quick trip to grab a sandwich on the go.

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

I apologize if this doesn’t belong here but I was wondering if anyone knows if Gasparilla Grill is offering the Holiday Turkey sandwich this year? I had one in Dec of 2019 from there and loved it. Staying on the monorail line so that’d be a quick trip to grab a sandwich on the go.

I don't know the answer but they will probably have some special offering. Gasparillas has Mobile Order, so you can check before you get on the monorail.

 

[mrsap]

I apologize if this doesn’t belong here but I was wondering if anyone knows if Gasparilla Grill is offering the Holiday Turkey sandwich this year? I had one in Dec of 2019 from there and loved it. Staying on the monorail line so that’d be a quick trip to grab a sandwich on the go.

So, I keep track of the Thanksgiving offerings over on the Thanksgiving Menu Thread, but Gaspy’s is not listed. I’ll post if I find out anything.

 

[mrsap]

 

[mrsap]

Good afternoon from The Grand! Just moved over from AKL!


Guys, this lobby is INSANE right now. By the looks of the lobby and the parking lot, they are sticking to the rule that if you are not staying here or having dinner here, you cannot park here. The line for the monorail goes all the way back, almost to Enchanted, Rose!!!!!! I typically love sitting here and just enjoying the atmosphere, but today that is not happening. The piano player is playing, but I believe it’s just too much chaos to enjoy it.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Good afternoon from The Grand! Just moved over from AKL!


Guys, this lobby is INSANE right now. By the looks of the lobby and the parking lot, they are sticking to the rule that if you are not staying here or having dinner here, you cannot park here. The line for the monorail goes all the way back, almost to Enchanted, Rose!!!!!! I typically love sitting here and just enjoying the atmosphere, but today that is not happening. The piano player is playing, but I believe it’s just too much chaos to enjoy it.

View attachment 917149View attachment 917150View attachment 917151View attachment 917152

Fill out your surveys…. Disney is making a choice to allow this to happen.

 

[Flash_Sloth]

Fill out your surveys…. Disney is making a choice to allow this to happen.

I stayed at VGF in early November, and had some very negative experiences with the bus stop. I let them know about it in the survey. I never saw the monorail line as long as pictured above; that's crazy!


Pictured, I was on the bus coming back from Disney Springs. Even after we pulled into the GF parking lot, we were in a holding pattern for 10-15 minutes waiting for one bus to finish its unloading/loading at the bus stop. And while we were there, at least 2 more buses were in a holding pattern behind us. Having a bus stop that supports only a single bus at a time is very limiting.

And when you're at the bus stop, it is pure chaos during busier times. The small ramp down to the bus stop is very narrow and is a bit of a blind turn; when 2 scooters and/or strollers meet going opposite directions, somebody has to reverse. And the whole ramp can be overflowing with people waiting on a bus.

There aren't any clear lines or areas for people going to different destinations. When your bus shows up, I don't want to be that guy elbowing his way to the front, but it isn't at all clear who else may want that bus or who is waiting for a different bus.

And because the buses are shared with Poly, it is just going to get worse when Poly Island Tower opens.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I stayed at VGF in early November, and had some very negative experiences with the bus stop. I let them know about it in the survey. I never saw the monorail line as long as pictured above; that's crazy!

View attachment 917482 View attachment 917483
Pictured, I was on the bus coming back from Disney Springs. Even after we pulled into the GF parking lot, we were in a holding pattern for 10-15 minutes waiting for one bus to finish its unloading/loading at the bus stop. And while we were there, at least 2 more buses were in a holding pattern behind us. Having a bus stop that supports only a single bus at a time is very limiting.

And when you're at the bus stop, it is pure chaos during busier times. The small ramp down to the bus stop is very narrow and is a bit of a blind turn; when 2 scooters and/or strollers meet going opposite directions, somebody has to reverse. And the whole ramp can be overflowing with people waiting on a bus.

There aren't any clear lines or areas for people going to different destinations. When your bus shows up, I don't want to be that guy elbowing his way to the front, but it isn't at all clear who else may want that bus or who is waiting for a different bus.

And because the buses are shared with Poly, it is just going to get worse when Poly Island Tower opens.

I foresee a lot of Minnie Vans in my future.

The cost of the trip is too high to have waisted downtime.

 

[cbailey1616]

Good afternoon from The Grand! Just moved over from AKL!


Guys, this lobby is INSANE right now. By the looks of the lobby and the parking lot, they are sticking to the rule that if you are not staying here or having dinner here, you cannot park here. The line for the monorail goes all the way back, almost to Enchanted, Rose!!!!!! I typically love sitting here and just enjoying the atmosphere, but today that is not happening. The piano player is playing, but I believe it’s just too much chaos to enjoy it.

View attachment 917149View attachment 917150View attachment 917151View attachment 917152

I go next week and feared this would happen. Seems unfair to folks paying to stay at the resort that they have to deal with massive crowds of people visiting. Planning to not even use the monorail at all. But I suppose thats just the way it is.

 

[aka Charles]

Good afternoon from The Grand! Just moved over from AKL!


Guys, this lobby is INSANE right now. By the looks of the lobby and the parking lot, they are sticking to the rule that if you are not staying here or having dinner here, you cannot park here. The line for the monorail goes all the way back, almost to Enchanted, Rose!!!!!! I typically love sitting here and just enjoying the atmosphere, but today that is not happening. The piano player is playing, but I believe it’s just too much chaos to enjoy it.

I go next week and feared this would happen. Seems unfair to folks paying to stay at the resort that they have to deal with massive crowds of people visiting. Planning to not even use the monorail at all. But I suppose thats just the way it is.

Ladies and Gentlemen, and kids of all ages....

The next great add-on to your WDW vacation....

Lightning Lane passes for WDW Transportation.

For a low low fee (per person, per day) you can get on the fast track for the next Monorail, boat, or bus to your next WDW destination.

Just a small price to pay to get more done in your day, at WDW.

[For any WDW management reading this, it is just humor, NOT a suggestion. I love WDW transportation, especially the boats.]
.

 

[cbailey1616]

Ladies and Gentlemen, and kids of all ages....

The next great add-on to your WDW vacation....

Lightning Lane passes for WDW Transportation.

For a low low fee (per person, per day) you can get on the fast track for the next Monorail, boat, or bus to your next WDW destination.

Just a small price to pay to get more done in your day, at WDW.

[For any WDW management reading this, it is just humor, NOT a suggestion. I love WDW transportation, especially the boats.]
.

TBH, I'd pay for this lol

 

[elliemaple]

I'm going next week too with DW and two toddlers. We are planning on using the monorail at 7am to get to MK in the morning for EE, and then using the boat to head back around noon for a break at the pool/room. Fallback is a 20 minute walk with the stroller. Hoping to enjoy the Christmas decorations between noon and 3pm, and then late at night. Any evening Park trips we will be driving after reading the boards lately-seems like a hot mess to try the MR or bus. Hoping this strategy allows us to enjoy our time at VGF.

 

[cbailey1616]

I'm going next week too with DW and two toddlers. We are planning on using the monorail at 7am to get to MK in the morning for EE, and then using the boat to head back around noon for a break at the pool/room. Fallback is a 20 minute walk with the stroller. Hoping to enjoy the Christmas decorations between noon and 3pm, and then late at night. Any evening Park trips we will be driving after reading the boards lately-seems like a hot mess to try the MR or bus. Hoping this strategy allows us to enjoy our time at VGF.

Sounds like a good plan. I'll have a similar strategy with my toddler and infant.

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

I stayed at VGF in early November, and had some very negative experiences with the bus stop. I let them know about it in the survey. I never saw the monorail line as long as pictured above; that's crazy!

View attachment 917482 View attachment 917483
Pictured, I was on the bus coming back from Disney Springs. Even after we pulled into the GF parking lot, we were in a holding pattern for 10-15 minutes waiting for one bus to finish its unloading/loading at the bus stop. And while we were there, at least 2 more buses were in a holding pattern behind us. Having a bus stop that supports only a single bus at a time is very limiting.

And when you're at the bus stop, it is pure chaos during busier times. The small ramp down to the bus stop is very narrow and is a bit of a blind turn; when 2 scooters and/or strollers meet going opposite directions, somebody has to reverse. And the whole ramp can be overflowing with people waiting on a bus.

There aren't any clear lines or areas for people going to different destinations. When your bus shows up, I don't want to be that guy elbowing his way to the front, but it isn't at all clear who else may want that bus or who is waiting for a different bus.

And because the buses are shared with Poly, it is just going to get worse when Poly Island Tower opens.

Yiiiiiikes. Disappointing.

 

[hockeydad21]

Good afternoon from The Grand! Just moved over from AKL!


Guys, this lobby is INSANE right now. By the looks of the lobby and the parking lot, they are sticking to the rule that if you are not staying here or having dinner here, you cannot park here. The line for the monorail goes all the way back, almost to Enchanted, Rose!!!!!! I typically love sitting here and just enjoying the atmosphere, but today that is not happening. The piano player is playing, but I believe it’s just too much chaos to enjoy it.

View attachment 917149View attachment 917150View attachment 917151View attachment 917152

That's honestly disgraceful that Disney would let guests of their flagship hotel have to wait in that line when you're paying a premium. This is where logistics/transportation manager needs to call in 2-4 additional buses ASAP and shuttle people over to MK to clear them out. Things like this should never happen.

It's one thing for lines to get backed up departing MK immediately following fireworks, but this? C'mon.

 

[GGGT]

We're here now. Let me echo the previous comments, it's chaos. We're stayed here the first week of December for years and I've never seen this level of crowds. It's compromising at best.

 

[Dis507]

We're here now. Let me echo the previous comments, it's chaos. We're stayed here the first week of December for years and I've never seen this level of crowds. It's compromising at best.

Sadly not un-expected. We are headed there shortly ourselves and I know that it has always been busy during the holidays. But with all of the vlogs/blogs and local media sharing all of the things you can do there its beginning to be a problem.

 

[PinkPixel]

TBH, I'd pay for this lol

Resort monorail was only for resort guests when WDW opened, at the very least resort guests should get priority boarding to and from their resort.